How to Stick to Your Commitments

Have you ever been hesitant to make a commitment in your life or your business? Do you struggle with sticking to the commitments you’ve made?

A life commitment could be a personal goal, a relationship, or even a project you want to complete. A business commitment can be finishing something you start to following through on delivering what you’ve promised. It can also be stating publicly that you plan to do something or launch something, and following through on that statement.

Some commitments are easy, and some are difficult. The reason we avoid making difficult commitments is because we are afraid.

We fear that making a commitment means we will be stuck and no longer have options. This is simply not true. We always have options.

We also fear commitments because we don’t believe in ourselves enough to see them through. We are afraid of failing. Or perhaps we don’t trust ourselves enough to succeed. Ask yourself, what is the worst that can happen if I fail at this commitment?

The good news is, if you fail to meet a commitment, it will not mean the end of the world. You will feel bad for letting yourself and others down, but you can start over and try again. In many cases, the failure is short-lived. It’s temporary pain.

We can also avoid making or sticking to commitments because we lack true passion about what we are committing to. I simply can’t stress enough how important it is that passion is tied into your commitments, especially in the work that you do.

Sometimes there will be a good reason as to why you can’t honor a commitment. Maybe you’re changing the course of your business, for example. Maybe you’re enduring a terrible work or home environment. Breaking some commitments cannot be avoided, especially if you will be better off personally or professionally in doing so.

It feels great to honor a worthwhile commitment that you’ve made and to follow through on that commitment. Making and sticking to a commitment builds confidence. It makes you feel better about yourself and it builds trust with your customers and your audience!

I’ve struggled with making commitments from time to time both in business and in life. We all do. It’s human nature.

I also know that it’s possible to get better at making and keeping the commitments we make to ourselves and others.

Below are some rules I’ve set for myself to help create new commitments and stick to those that I’ve already made. I hope they can help you as well. Don’t let the fear of commitment creep in and hold you back.

7 Tips on How to Stick to Your Commitments

1)Believe in your ability to make and honor commitments

2)Start with small goals (don’t overcommit yourself or bite off more than you can chew!)

3)Accept and embrace that your fear of commitment is related to your lack of confidence and passion (work on these!)

4)Write down your commitments (this will ink them into your brain’s muscle memory)

5)Focus on the positives of making a tough commitment (what will you gain? how will you benefit?)

6)Find a commitment accountability partner (spouses are great for this)

About Stephanie

Stephanie is the founder and CEO of Wired Advisor (www.wiredadvisor.com), a company that helps professional services entrepreneurs build their digital influence. She is also a writer, podcaster, and speaker. Stephanie has been named a Top 30 Marketing Thought Leader and Top 25 Social Media Expert by LinkedIn, and she’s been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur.com, New York Times, Forbes, and Investment News.